Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Never enough….or is it?

My day job is getting a lot of my energy these days and I while I am grateful it does make it tough to keep up with the things I enjoy doing.  One of which is writing – who would have thought!  Last week I managed one blog post, I am not going to hold anyone’s interest that way!

During a conversation with a fellow blogger he mentioned he was also crazy busy with work and he was writing late at night so his sleep schedule was much shorter.  I have to give him and many other bloggers kudos to be able to write at night after a long day of work and family.  I only have the work part and my brain seems to turn off at 10:00 pm.    

Eight hours of sleep is recommended but so is a 40 hour work week.  Few Americans follow these suggestions if we are lucky enough to have jobs.   Does it hurt my quality of life? Probably.  Do I need to do a better job at balancing work, life, fun and health? Yes.

I do know I need to create more opportunity to allow my brain to relax and drift.  I remember lying on a seesaw when I was a kid watching the clouds go by and delighting when I found an animal lookalike in one.  Why was I in such a hurry to grow up!

A book club I belonged to was started to study the Artist Way by Julia Cameron.  Everyone enjoyed it and felt the suggestions were helpful to their lives.  I was working from home then and was able to dictate how my day went.  Now, not so much.

I am not complaining I am just trying to figure out how to organize my life better so I get 8 hours of sleep a night, have fun and work.  Feel free to offer what works in your life in the comments section below!  Now I am off to..zzzzzz.

6 comments:

  1. Hey, I know what you mean! I went to bed at 9:45 last night, and couldn't tell you the last time that happened! I think for me the struggle is to take the spare time I get to do the things I need to do, but sometimes I just want to veg out with that time. I guess both are right. Sometimes I need to be really productive, and sometimes just rest up. Maybe you should just do your blogging at work? :-) Ha!

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  2. I can SO relate to your post. I work a full-time job (I'm on vacation this week!)and write a daily blog. Like you, I started the blog when I was working from home and could spend as much time as needed for the blog.

    In my case, the research for the blog takes up most of the time. I get up every morning at 5am to do research, go to work, and then come home to write the post. It is a grind, but I can't imagine not doing it.

    BTW, I'm currently reading the Artists Way! I am only a few chapters into it. I have heard very positive comments about the book.

    Best Wishes ~ Patricia

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  3. It is definitely difficult to juggle work, fun and sleep with much success. At least for Americans. In my personal experience, a (not so) simple attitude adjustment works some of the time. Reminding myself when I'm busy that it's a good thing, and when I'm doing something fun to not be thinking about work! As for sleep, physical activity helps me get better quality sleep.
    I like Paul's suggestion of blogging at work!

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  4. My apologies for not replying earlier. My work computer won't let me sign in for some reason.

    Paul - Ha! Don't think the boss is going to be ok with me blogging at work! It seems whenever I am doing the one (resting or chores) I am always thinking about the other! Thanks for commenting!

    Patricia - I hope you are enjoying your vacation! I am so impressed you do your research in the early morning hours. I am not sure my brain functions then :) Let me know how you liked the Artists Way when you are finished. Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by on your vacation!

    Amanda (BFF) - I think being in the moment is something we both need to work on! So when we are visiting on the 30th we need to remember this! Thank you!

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  5. Finding that perfect balance which works for you is hard. As for sleep I wouldn't worry to much about what is recomended, but what you need & allows your body to recoup from each days workload - for some it is 6 hours & for others it can go up to 10.

    As for blogging - while it may take a little longer to gather more readers, I don't see an issue with 1 great post a week & additional ones can count as a bonus

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  6. See that little alarm in your picture? You might have to use it to force yourself to take short naps. I haven't taken my own advice, but it might work for you! Sometimes I will combine activities, such as writing a post during lunch. That kind of thing. I like to do some stuff longhand, so that I am physically away from the computer for a break.

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